Who is Carlos Soto? Arizona man decapitated pal’s body before flushing parts down toilet
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: A man was taken into custody and charged after it was found that he was allegedly responsible for decapitating his friend’s body. Carlos Guadalupe Leon Soto has also been accused of flushing the victim’s body parts through the toilet and dumping the remaining parts in a West Phoenix alley.
Law & Crime reported that the 30-year-old was detained on July 26, almost a month after a horrifying discovery was made by an unnamed person near 39th Avenue and McDowell Road. The person called 911 to complain about a strong smell coming from garbage bags and when cops checked those bags, human body parts were found inside them. Soon the remains were transferred to the crime lab, where it was eventually determined that the remains were of Jose Gutierrez.
Who is Carlos Soto?
Soto is the accused in the death of 34-year-old Gutierrez. The two had been living together before his death but it has not been confirmed yet if they were sexually involved with each other. Following his arrest, the accused has been charged with one count each of hindering prosecution, tampering with evidence, and abandonment or concealment of a dead body charges.
Also, as per reports, during his interrogation with police, Soto claimed that he had known the victim since June 19 after they met at a Mexican restaurant. Gutierrez then began living with him and one day he lost his life because of a drug overdose. Fox 10 Phoenix citing court documents reported, “Approximately three days after the meeting, [Soto] stated that [Gutierrez] overdosed inside his apartment. The overdose occurred while [Soto's roommates] were out of town for several days.”
Carlos Guadalupe Leon Soto reportedly did not want to be deported
The accused reportedly took the extreme step of cutting body parts of Gutierrez to avoid deportation. He allegedly used a kitchen knife to execute his plan and flushed some body parts before placing other organs and parts in different trash bags. The official record noted, “[Soto] placed the bags inside a wagon. [Soto] transported the bags down the alleyway located south of his apartment, in between 39th Avenue and 41st Avenue, towards the location where [Gutierrez's] human remains were later recovered.” Soto had allegedly dumped the head of Gutierrez at a separate place but eventually, he revealed the location to the investigators.
This comes as another such incident happened in Arizona's Casa Grande, where a man was accused of murdering and dismembering his father. Casa Grande Police Department mentioned in a media release, “Investigators have determined Christopher [Chase] and his father, Thomas, were involved in a physical altercation on July 22nd at Thomas’ home in the 1700 block of North Terrace Circle. This altercation led to Christopher fatally shooting Thomas and then dismembering his body. Further investigation has determined Christopher was aided by his 56-year-old mother, Melissa Lynne Chase, in the concealment and cleanup of evidence.”